Staple extractor



Oct. 3, 7 T. E. OKE 3,345 036 STAPLE EXTRACTOR Filed March 14, 1966 IN VENTOR. COO/(5' A TraQA/EV United States Patent 3,345,036 STAPLE EXTRACTOR Ted E. Cooke, Seattle, Wash.; Ruth M. Cooke, executrix of said Ted E. Cooke, deceased, assignor to Orville F. Jurgens, Seattle, Wash.

Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 534,158 3 Claims. (Cl. 254-28) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A staple extractor apparatus having a pair of relatively rotatable jaws including oppositely curved slots extending inward from common edges, the mouths of which slots coincide to engage a clinched staple which is extracted by progressive crossing action of the curved slots during relative rotary movement of the jaws.

This invention concerns a staple extractor and has for its object the provision of a compact rotary jaw means which can be easily engaged to a clinched staple and easily operated to extract and subsequently eject the same even though small enough to be carried on the end of a common lea-d pencil.

A preferred and an alternative form of the staple extractor is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the staple extractor showing the manner of its manipulation and its use;

FIGURES 2, 3, and 4 are enlarged views in side elevation of the staple extractor showing the extraction operation as it progresses from first contact with a clinched staple toward its withdrawal;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary enlarged end view of a lower portion of the staple extractor showing an extracted staple; and

FIGURE 6 is a view in reduced scale in side elevation of analternate form of staple extractor.

The extractor comprises a first jaw member 10 and a second jaw member 12 positioned in said first member for limited relative rotational movement of said jaw member. Rotation is about the axis of pin 14 which couples the two jaw members together. Jaw member 10 is preferably formed of shaped sheet metal stamped and molded to form two like, parallel, spaced-apart sides joined at their rear by web 16 and merging upwardly into a tubular socket 18 adapted to be manually gripped and on occasion to receive a handle extension which may take the form of a pencil P or a similar slender dowel-like member.

Each of the side plates of the first jaw member 10 is provided with a slot 20 that has an open-mouth at an edge of the side member. Slot 20 extends alongside of the axis of rotation determined by pin 14, generally to the rear side or portion of the staple extractor. Preferably slot 20 is slightly curved.

Second jaw member 12, within member 10, likewise has a slot 22 which is open-mouthed at the edge of the member 12 and extends therefrom axisward as shown. Slot 22 may also be desirably curved.

When the staple extractor is in what is described as the retracted position as shown in FIGURE 2 the mouths of slots 20 and 22 coincide so that they may be placed in straddling relation over a staple S. The trailing lips of slots 20 are plow-shaped at 24 and the trailing lips of slot 22 are likewise plow shaped at 26 to facilitate entry under the clinched staple S to initiate the extraction operation. Lips 24, 26 face each other.

Second jaw member 12 is provided with an outstanding arm 30 by which thumb or finger pressure may be applied in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGURES 3 and 4 to produce an overturning movement of arm 30 and rotation of member 12 while member 10 is otherwise 3,345,036 Patented Oct. 3, 1967 being manually gripped. When the member 12 is rotated relative the member 10, the lips 24, 26 close together and insert themselves under the arch or bow of the clinched staple S and tend to lift it while the stapled material is being pressed and/ or retained by the outer edge surfaces of members 10 and 12. As member 12 rotates relative to member 10 the slots 20 and 22 are progressively increasingly crossed and the slot channels in which the staple S is located tends to raise same relative to the stapled material M as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 in comparison with the showing of FIGURE 2.

Lips 24 and flats 32 increase the line of contact of member 10 with the material from which the staple is being extracted. In these flats are formed notches 34. As the staple is being withdrawn to the approximate extent shown in FIGURE 4 its unclinched ends tend to lodge in notches 34. Because of the springy nature of the staple legs, their tips remain guided by the notches. This avoids the extracted staple legs becoming lodged in groove 20 where they might be jammed, or to be displaced to the rear of member 10. When the rotary motion of member 12 is reversed in ejection the tendency is for the staple S to pivot about the point of engagement notches 34. It is easily ejected free of the extractor when the member 12 is retracted to the position of FIGURE 2.

Arm 30 abuts the base of socket 18 to limit retracting movement of member 12. Shoulder 36 on member 12 abuts the inner surface of wall 16 on member 10 when jaw member 12 has been rotated to such extent as serves to obtain suitable staple extraction. It will be seen that by reason of these parts coming into engagement with each other limitation of relative rotation of the parts is obtained.

The surface of arm 30 may be corrugated or serrated as at 38 and surfaces of socket 18 may likewise be corrugated or roughened as at 40 to facilitate gripping and manipulation of the two jaw members of the staple extractor-ejector.

In FIGURE 6 the staple extractor comprises first jaw member 42 and second jaw member 40 therewithin. The jaws respectively have slots 46 and 48 of the same nature and operable in the same manner as has been previously described. In the FIGURE 6 form of the invention arm 50 extends outward from member 42 and arm 52 outward from member 40. A hairpin spring 54 is looped around the pivot 56 within member 40. Its ends are associated with inner surfaces of arms 50 and 52. The spring 54 bias the arms into divergent positioning. The action of the FIGURE 6 device is for the arms 50 and 52 to be pressed together to produce the staple extracting operation, and the spring powered reverse action ejecting the unclinched staple. In this regard there is a difference in operation by comparison with the device described in FIGURES 1-5 in which the arms 18 and 30 are caused to separate or spread apart to produce the staple extracting function and a retraction of this movement effecting the ejection of the unclinched staple.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that alterations, changes and modifications may be made with respect to the specific shape and form of elements in this staple extractor. All such as with a liberal application of the rule of equivalents fall under the spirit and scope of the sub-joined claims are intended to be covered by this patent.

What is claimed is:

1. A staple extractor comprising:

(A) a first jaw member having an open-mouth curved slot extending arcuately inward from an edge;

(B) a second jaw member having an open-mouth curved slot extending inward from an edge and being mounted to rotate within such first jaw member;

(C) said second jaw member slot having its mouth normally coincident with the open-mouth of the curved slot of said first jaw member;

(D) the slot of said second jaw member having opposite curvature relative the slot of said first jaw member and extending inward from its open-mouth more toward the axis of rotation than the inward extension of the slot of said first jaw member, whereby said slots form an aperture disposed progressively further from their mouths as the jaw members are relatively rotated;

(E) said jaw members each including pointed means at the trailing lips of said slots to engage under opposite sides of a clinched staple; and

(F) manipulating means associated with each of said jaw members whereby relative rotary movement of the jaw members may be effected.

2. The structure according to claim 1 in which the first member has flats adjacent the trailing lips thereof, and said flats are engaged by the unclinched ends of an extracted staple to hold the unclinched staple legs approximately normal to said flats.

3. The structure according to claim 1 in which the manipulating means associated with the first jaw member comprises an extension handle, and the manipulating means on the second jaw member comprises an outstanding arm adapted to be manually pressed by a users thumb while the handle is grasped by his fingers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 913,725 3/1909 Guinter 25428 X 1,300,952 4/1919 Goben 25421 2,662,727 12/1953 Yerkes 25428 3,143,800 8/1964 ViZZi 25428 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STAPLE EXTRACTOR COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST JAW MEMBER HAVING AN OPEN-MOUTH CURVED SLOT EXTENDING ARCUATELY INWARD FROM AND EDGE; (B) A SECOND JAW MEMBER HAVING AN OPEN-MOUTH CURVED SLOT EXTENDING INWARD FROM AN EDGE AND BEING MOUNTED TO ROTATE WITHIN SUCH FIRST JAW MEMBER; (C) SAID SECOND JAW MEMBER SLOT HAVING ITS MOUTH NORMALLY COINCIDENT WITH THE OPEN-MOUTH OF THE CURVED SLOT OF SAID FIRST JAW MEMBER; (D) THE SLOT OF SAID SECOND JAW MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE CURVATURE RELATIVE THE SLOT OF SAID FIRST JAW MEMBER AND EXTENDING INWARD FROM ITS OPEN-MOUTH MORE TOWARD THE AXIS OF ROTATION THAN THE INWARD EXTENSION OF THE SLOT OF SAID FIRST JAW MEMBER, WHEREBY SAID SLOTS FORM AN APERTURE DISPOSED PROGRESSIVELY FURTHER FROM THEIR MOUTHS AS THE JAW MEMBERS ARE RELATIVELY ROTATED; 